Aiyanar
Aiyanar ( Tamil ஐயனார் ) is a deity in Indian mythology . He is considered the protective deity of the Tamil rural population.
In the myth, Aiyanar is a son of Shiva and Mohini , a female form of Vishnu . His wives are Puranai and Pudgalai . As Indra's helper , he presumed to appear as ruler over the earth, which is why he and the Saptamatas banished him to the earth as protector of humans and ruler over demons. Since then he has been riding with his two bodyguards Madurai Viran and Muniandi armed with a club around the villages to drive away evil demons. The encounter with him is said to bring disaster, since he considers the people he meets to be demons.
He is usually depicted with red skin and braided hair, he wears pearl necklaces, his club, a scepter or a bow. Life-size white horses, elephants and other animals are often placed next to his statue.
He is one of the few male deities that the Tamils worship independently and not just as the companion of a female deity. Especially after he has recovered from an illness, in the south of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, he is offered votive offerings in the form of clay horses, but also figures of elephants, dogs or warriors. At his public festival, which takes place in April or May, his cult statues are washed and covered, after which fruits, rice and sugar are sacrificed. His bodyguard Viran receives sheep and poultry as blood sacrifices . His cult has regained strength in the recent past, which is attributed to radio and television programs that featured him.
literature
- Volker Moeller: The mythology of the Vedic religion and Hinduism. In: Hans Wilhelm Haussig , Heinz Bechert (Ed.): Gods and Myths of the Indian Subcontinent (= Dictionary of Mythology . Department 1: The ancient civilized peoples. Volume 5). Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-12-909850-X , pp. 36-37.
- Keyword: Aiyaṉār, Aiyyapaṉ . In: Kamil V. Zwelebil: Mythology of the Tamils and other Dravidian speaking peoples . In: Hans Wilhelm Haussig, Heinz Bechert (Ed.): Gods and Myths of the Indian Subcontinent (= Dictionary of Mythology. Department 1: The ancient civilized peoples. Volume 5). Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-12-909850-X , p. 861.
